Chapter 282 : A Reward
Chapter 282: A Reward
The office had become familiar to her now.
It felt like only yesterday that she had been incredibly nervous the first time she stepped inside, yet now, knocking on the door almost felt unnecessary.
She had even become acquainted with the staff at the secretary's desk outside the office.
Nowadays, whenever they saw Airi, they would greet her with friendly smiles and crack jokes.
“Oh, you're here. The Chairman's favorite.”
“Hello.”
The Chairman's favorite.
Ever since Aaron had paid particular attention to Airi because she had been such a troublemaker during her first year, the Foundation staff had started calling her by that nickname.
The first time she heard it, Airi had vehemently denied it.
These days, however, she simply accepted it.
Partly because she had grown used to it...
And partly because, after realizing her feelings for Aaron, the nickname secretly made her happy.
“Hehe...”
Embarrassed, Airi scratched her cheek before asking one of the secretaries,
“Ah, is Ms. Maria inside?”
“Why? Looking for the Chief Secretary?”
“I owed her quite a lot during this exam, so... I bought some cookies as a thank-you gift....”
As she spoke, Airi discreetly showed the gift box of premium cookies she had secretly picked up from her room.
She had even gone out of her way to submit a leave request immediately after exams ended just to buy them from the department store.
“The Chief Secretary's on paid leave. The Chairman apparently told her to get plenty of rest after everything she went through while he was away. Lucky her.”
“I see....”
“Though, considering the work she does, maybe not. By the way... have you seen the news?”
“No. It's been exam season.”
“There's been a lot happening at Stingray Headquarters lately. People are saying President Kalia's been making some suspicious moves, like she's trying to seize management control of Headquarters. They also think the Chairman being away from the Academy for so long had something to do with that.”
“......”
So that was what had happened.
Airi had known Aaron had been away from the Academy for a long time.
She had simply never considered why.
Since nearly her entire life revolved around this Academy building, she barely knew what was happening in the outside world.
Especially lately, corporate rivalry and the atmosphere at Headquarters had affected Academy students far less than before.
...No.
That was just an excuse.
She had simply been too thoughtless.
She had been so overwhelmed dealing with whatever lay directly before her that she had become accustomed to being the one receiving all the attention.
‘If only I could become closer to him.’
Naturally, Aaron never talked to her about things like that.
At the end of the day, she was merely one of the students he sponsored.
What Chairman would casually share his personal concerns with one of his scholarship students?
Even she knew that made no sense.
Still, Airi didn't particularly dream of joining the Stingray Group and climbing the corporate ladder.
Originally, she had wanted to uncover the secrets surrounding her brother from inside Stingray.
Now that goal had already been accomplished.
If life were a game, it felt like she had already completed the main quest and no longer knew what to do next.
There was only one vague goal remaining.
‘If only I could become stronger....’
She wanted to become stronger.
More capable.
She wanted to remain by Aaron's side, just like Maria.
She wanted to become someone he could rely on whenever he found himself in trouble.
“...Airi?”
“Ah, no. It's nothing.”
It all felt...
Too vague.
Even after saying it herself, she couldn't clearly picture such a future.
It made her feel painfully aware of just how immature she still was.
“Um... I'll head inside now.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I kept you too long. Leave the cookies here. I'll give them to the Chief Secretary for you.”
“Thank you.”
Bowing politely, Airi handed over the cookies before heading toward the Chairman's office once again.
The moment she opened the door, the first things she saw were the reception sofa, the glass doors leading to the aerial parking area, and the enormous windows overlooking the city.
And there sat Aaron behind his desk, the cityscape spread out behind him.
He had been reviewing holographic documents, but as soon as Airi entered, he closed every window at once and greeted her.
“Welcome. You spent quite a while chatting.”
“Ah....”
Apparently, he had overheard her conversation with the secretary outside.
Thinking about it, someone as high-level an Adaptee as Aaron would never fail to notice what was happening just beyond a single door.
‘...Wait.’
Then...
Did that mean he had heard every conversation she'd ever had with the staff outside whenever she came here?
There had definitely been a few rather embarrassing conversations between the girls...
“I-I'm sorry for being late. I heard you were looking for me....”
“You're not late. In fact, your timing is perfect.”
Aaron calmly shook his head before opening a new holographic report.
“I've received your grades.”
“H-How did I do?”
“The results were rather surprising.”
Keeping his expression completely blank, Aaron gestured toward her.
He was telling her to come closer.
Airi carefully walked until she stood directly before his desk.
Even as she approached, she studied his face carefully.
His expression never changed.
“Um... W-What was wrong with my grades...?”
“......”
Aaron stared at her with an unreadable expression.
Panic immediately gripped Airi.
She had thought she'd worked incredibly hard lately.
Had something gone wrong?
If there had been a problem, it was probably in the written exams.
She was confident she hadn't lost to anyone in the practical tests.
So it had to be the theory classes.
‘Ah... Don't tell me I got that eight-point question wrong?’
Or maybe...
She had made a careless mistake on one of the easy two-point questions because she'd assumed it was too simple.
The thought that she might have disappointed Aaron threw her mind into chaos.
She had genuinely lacked study time after juggling both Student Council duties and everything involving her brother.
She never imagined it would end like this...
“Congratulations.”
At that moment, Aaron spoke.
“First place in your year. That's remarkable.”
“Huh?”
“See for yourself.”
Only then did Aaron finally smile as he shared the report with her.
Average Score: 4.4.
She had achieved nearly perfect marks across every subject.
“W-Were you teasing me!?”
“You certainly looked surprised.”
“With that expression, of course I thought something was seriously wrong! Do you have any idea how hard I worked!? Thinking I'd failed after all that...!”
Pouting, Airi complained.
Aaron simply smiled and continued.
“Compared to last year's final examinations, your grades have improved across the board. Your ability to utilize modules has also advanced significantly. More importantly, you received particularly high marks for teamwork with your allies. It seems you're getting along with your classmates now.”
“Things really changed after I became Student Council President. I'm not completely sure, but... I think quite a few of the underclassmen have started looking up to me.”
“You even have a fan club.”
“Y-You knew about that!?”
Airi's face instantly turned bright red.
Completely flustered, she stumbled over her words.
“N-No, um...!”
“It's a good thing when the Student Council President is popular.”
Aaron calmly continued reading the report.
“To be honest, almost nobody can display this level of ability with such a low Replacement Rate. No matter how many times I look at it, your raw talent is impressive. At this point, I could attach a few modules to you and recruit you straight into the Headquarters Security Team as a new member.”
“Come on... that's an exaggeration....”
“I'm not joking.”
Aaron emphasized the point once more.
“To be frank, your growth rate borders on abnormal. I already knew you were talented, but you've developed even faster than I anticipated.”
“W-Well....”
“In fact, it's almost suspicious. Tell me honestly. Have you installed any additional cyberware or modules without informing me recently? Or have you taken any performance-enhancing drugs?”
“I haven't done anything like that!”
“I figured as much. My scanner confirmed the same thing, so I was relieved.”
Aaron nodded with satisfaction.
“It seems assigning Lexus to tutor you was the right decision. Your innate talent simply found the proper environment to bloom. And your interactions with Maria appear to have helped considerably as well.”
“I guess so. Uncle Lexus really is incredible when it comes to actual skill....”
“Thanks to him, the overall standard of the Stingray Scholars has improved considerably. Rather than keeping him as a contractor, officially hiring him as a full-time employee and incorporating his methods into the system doesn't seem like a bad idea.”
Smiling with satisfaction, Aaron closed the report.
“Anyway, Lexus told me your growth had been unbelievably fast, but seeing the actual results is even more impressive. Well done. Even with Student Council duties keeping you several times busier than everyone else, you've continued working this hard.”
“T-Thank you.”
Airi awkwardly scratched her cheek.
But inside, she was celebrating.
It had been a very long time since Aaron had praised her this much.
“Well then. Since you've achieved such excellent results, it's only right that you receive a reward. Tell me what you want. How about renting out an entire outlet mall again so you and your friends can spend the whole day there like last time?”
“N-No. Once was enough.”
The memory of wandering through the department store with only Miyu last year was still one of her happiest memories.
Still...
She thought places like that were more enjoyable when they were crowded with people.
“I see. Then what would you like instead?”
“Hmm....”
“I'll grant whatever you ask. Go ahead.”
“R-Really... anything?”
“Yes. Anything.”
Now that the reward was actually in front of her, she found herself hesitating.
The first thing that came to mind was additional combat modules.
But honestly...
She felt Aaron would probably arrange those for her anyway without her even asking.
She didn't want to waste this golden ticket on something like that.
If she allowed herself to be a little greedier...
‘A... date...!’
A date.
The memory of walking around the university festival with Aaron had left an unforgettable impression on her.
Of course, Serena had been tagging along the entire time.
This time...
She wanted to spend time with just the two of them.
Without anyone interrupting.
The problem was...
‘It's too embarrassing to say!!’
She couldn't even bring herself to say the first syllable of the word "date."
Even pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth to pronounce the sound made her feel unbearably ticklish.
“S-So then... da... da...!”
“What is it? Your face is completely red.”
“Ah... Hahaha! You're right! I wonder why? Maybe the heating's a little too warm... hahaha.”
“The room temperature is twenty-four degrees. Is it really that hot?”
“N-No! I'm fine!”
Her voice became even louder.
Cold sweat trickled down her face as she desperately struggled to force the word "date" out of her mouth.
Unfortunately...
Aaron merely tilted his head, completely oblivious to her efforts.
“If it's really that difficult to decide, you may think about it a little longer and tell me later.”
“N-No... I've decided... I really have....”
“Then say it.”
“Uugh...!”
Airi bit her lip.
Come on... be brave...!
It's only one sentence...!
You coward... just say it already...!
No matter how much she encouraged herself...
Her lips only trembled helplessly on the first syllable.
She continued muttering,
“Da... da...”
like a broken robot.
After watching this for quite some time, Aaron suddenly raised a hand.
“Wait a moment. I need to answer this call.”
He stood up, walked toward the window, took out an old-fashioned smartphone, and accepted the call.
Rather than using the internal communication application built into his body, he only used a physical smartphone when he needed to avoid outside interception.
Given Aaron's position, that wasn't unusual.
The problem was...
The very first word that left his mouth after answering.
“Serena....”
Aaron whispered so quietly that the rest of the conversation couldn't be made out.
But that single name reached her ears clearly.
She couldn't hear the details.
However, one thing was obvious.
He was speaking with Serena Beresford.
“......”
Airi's mind went completely blank.
She stood there absentmindedly, simply watching Aaron talk on the phone.
The conversation apparently wasn't particularly important.
Aaron ended it rather quickly with a mildly annoyed expression before returning to his seat.
“Sorry about that. It was something rather important.”
“Chairman... I've decided.”
“Hmm?”
“My reward.”
Airi looked directly into Aaron's golden eyes.
Then she spoke.
“Please go on a date with me.”